I am trying to get healthier and, unlike my previous health kicks, I am doing this gradually and taking smaller and more sustainable steps towards this. I used to go from never working out to attempting to work out every day and by the end of the month I would have fallen off track and given up. Instead of this, I am not trying to work out loads every week, completely change my diet and drop loads of weight immediately. Instead, I am making baby steps and combatting my unhealthy habits one by one.

Food

I am not eating less, I am just substituting certain foods. I have already cut down on most dairy and I am already a vegetarian so I will be carrying on with this. I am going to try to home cook meals more as I tend to be lazy after uni and pick up a meal deal or just eat out! I also want to incorporate more protein into my diet because I haven't really paid attention to my protein intake since going veggie (years ago) and I really should start! I am not going to stop myself from eating unhealthy foods altogether, but I'm going to try to have more balance because I tend to eat a lot of unhealthy foods and don't really pay attention to what I am eating. I am also the biggest stress/boredom eater ever and I'm trying to be more mindful of when I'm about to binge so that I can stop myself or find a healthy alternative.

Exercise

I already walk everywhere since I don't drive. But, I want to do more. I walk out of necessity to university and back every day but I want to do more walking outside of this. I have started to walk to my local parks, and then having a jog around the parks before walking home. This gives me more time outdoors and more me-time. I also joined a gym for the first time in my life and I am loving it! I go whenever I can (so not a massive amount at the moment) and I love how my body feels after a workout!

Sleep

I'm not exactly going to bed early yet, but I'm going to bed earlier that I was. Ish. Okay, I'm working on it! When I don't have friends over, I aim to go to bed before midnight and I actually have a bedtime routine set. I light a bit of lavender incense, I remove my makeup and do my whole skincare routine, then I pop on some relaxing music that reminds me of my hometown and I pretty much drift off to sleep straight away since my days have been busy and I am always tired!

Brain

This one's a bit more difficult than the others but I'm trying my best to improve my mood. By that, I mean to keep it regulated and try to cope with uni better. Firstly, I'm trying to get more consistent with taking my medication for low mood and anxiety. You would think that after a year I would be better at this but you would be wrong! I am keeping track with a lil tickbox at the end of my daily bullet journal page and I've set about 12 reminders on my phone telling me to take my meds, so that should work. I'm also staying single for a while, which should drastically improve my mental health after the past few months! Finally, I'm spending more time with the people closest to me here in Manchester, which has improved my mood so much since I was beginning to feel isolated and lonely!

What small changes are you making to benefit your wellbeing? x

Photo by Kevin McCutcheon on Unsplash

When the cold weather starts, I begin to miss one thing. My nan's stew! I would spend hours with her in the kitchen doing what I could to help her to prepare her stew, my favourite meal. She puts so much time and care into the dish and I would beg for it as soon as autumn rolls around! Every time I'm on the phone to my mum and she says she went round to nan's for tea and had stew, I still get a pang of jealousy. However, since I've been vegetarian for the past few years now I haven't been able to have that hearty stew. However, there are plenty of lovely hearty meals you can still make as a veggie in autumn. And that's what I'm always craving when the weather gets cold... A warm, filling and hearty homecooked meal. I've collected a list of my fave recipes from past years and a few I want to try this year! Let's get cooking!

Fave Recipes

One of my staple recipes in the colder months is THIS gorgeous vegan lasagne soup by Liv B. It is extremely filling and hearty and is perfect for a quick after-uni/work meal. I make this in bulk as it is perfect the next day as lunch/dinner and it's cheap to make!

THIS one-pot mushroom and potato curry on BBC Good Food is my favourite dish to cook for others! It's super easy to make and I add a can of chickpeas to make it even more filling! You can make it as spicy or mild as you want and the heat makes it lovely and warming!

Recipes I Want To Try

Argentinian-Inspired Veggie Chilli with Chimichurri - Jess Eats and Travels
Afghan-Inspired Vegan Kidney Bean Slow-Cooker Casserole - Jess Eats and Travels
Vegan Shepherds Pie - The Little Blog of Vegan
Quick & Easy Vegan Macaroni Cheese - The Little Blog of Vegan
Quick & Easy Authentic Potato Curry - The Little Blog of Vegan
One Pot Wild Mushroom, Squash and Spinach Pilaf - Easy Peasy Foodie
Tuscan Bean Stew - Easy Peasy Foodie
Baked Potatoes with Spicy Chickpea Stew - Easy Peasy Foodie

Autumnal Bakes

Last year I was all about cooking, and this year I'm all about those autumnal baked goods! I already made THESE maple cookies, which turned out lovely but I definitely made way too many! Note to self: there is such thing as too many cookies. It's sparked my love of baking as a way to relax on an afternoon off, and these are all the bakes I have planned for this October:

Tarte Aux Pommes - All Recipes UK
Pumpkin and Maple Syrup Pie - All Recipes UK
Easy Sugar Cookies - All Recipes UK
Mary Berry's Banana and Chocolate Chip Loaf - BBC Recipes
Vegan Death by Chocolate Cake - Baking With Maggie
All-Time Fudgiest Brownies - Baking With Maggie
Apple and Cinnamon Cake - Easy Peasy Foodie

Recipe Books

I have a few great veggie/vegan cookbooks and I figured I would add what I think of them to this post just in case you are on the lookout for a good cookbook. There's something so lovely about working from a cookbook, rather than from a screen!


The New Vegan by Aine Carlin has been a great help to me as a vegetarian who's trying to steer closer to a vegan diet! Not only is the book filled with great recipes, but she also covers the basics so well! There is a page dedicated to vegan sources of nutrients and lots of info on the vegan lifestyle.

Veggie Comfort Food by Josephine Ashby is a new discovery for me! I keep asking to borrow my flatmate's copy because all the recipes look so hearty and perfect for the chilly weather!

Fast Vegetarian by Jane Baxter and Henry Dimbleby is by far my fave cookbook of all time! I wanted it for years until I finally picked it up last year in the sales! The thing about Leon cookbooks is that they are not only full of lovely recipes, they are also full of stories behind the recipes. It gives the book such a lovely personal touch and makes it such a joy to use!

What will you be cooking this autumn?x